Erika Smith is the boss lady and fabulous wedding & senior photographer behind Indie Pearl Photography...and one of my back-up birth photographers. She's crazy talented and one of the most sweet and fun ladies I know. I've been privileged to get to know her (and so many other amazing creative entrepreneurs) thru The Rising Tide Society and our local Tuesday's Together chapter. Any time another amazing photographer asks me to photograph their family, I pretty much squeal with excitement and think 'You want me? You're so talented and you're choosing ME?!?!'. I imagine it's like being a contestant on The Voice and getting all four chairs to turn for you.

Anyway her family is just the cutest and we had a great time exploring downtown Pensacola, hitting the hot spots, and grabbing food here and there. Take a moment to scroll thru our adventures...

First stop Brew Ha Ha, downtown Pensacola. The Pensacola Postcard mural has been a hotspot for photography and snapshots alike. With Brew Ha Ha set to open in just a couple of weeks, I knew I'd better get out there and use it before there were always cars parked in the way. It's open now, and there are always cars in the way.

Our next stop was Dolce & Gelato for a frozen treat. Dolce boasts some amazing gelato flavors that are handmade and fresh every day.

Then after dessert we headed back over to 12th avenue for dinner at Tacos Mexicanos. That's right, dessert happened first.

Don't you just love how close and snuggly they are? I really hope that my kids have this much personality and love each other (and us) as much as Erika & Tim's kids do. They seem to genuinely enjoy being together as a family. Really, they seem more like a group of best friends and were affectionate with each other without me even having to ask. They even shared their ice cream without reservation! I'm sure Erika will probably scoff a little reading this. After all, she sees them every day and at their worst. But let me tell you, from the outside they are picture perfect and a complete joy to work with.

Natalie is a lifestyle family photographer serving Pensacola, FL and surrounding areas. With a passion for capturing candid family moments, she specializes in birth and newborn lifestyle photography. Natalie lives in Pensacola with her husband and two (very difficult to photograph) children. Besides photography, she has a passion for modern sewing projects and graphic design.